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is manufactured ?—I should like to see it protected in a reasonable way. But the machines I refer to cannot be made to advantage here. They are made from patterns made at great cost; they are wade for all the world, not for any particular place. I allude to moulding-machines, mortising-machines, and the like. They are articles of a special description, requiring special skill. 143. I should now like to have your opinion with regard to engines ?—I think they should have a reasonable amount of protection. 144. Engines are largely made in the colony? —Yes, they are. 145. Up to what power ?—I have made them up to sixty-horse-power. 146. Marine engines?— Marine engines and other classes. 147. Will you state how many foundries in the colony are capable of turning out engines of large horse-power?—l should think about from ten to fifteen. 148. Have you any idea of the number of hands employed by these foundries ?—I cannot say, but I should imagine about a thousand—quite that. 149. Employed in this particular industry?—ln the engineering industry generally very much more than that. Of course there are many foundries which Ido not deem capable of turning out very large and heavy work. The large shops would employ on the average more than a hundred men. 150. What is your idea as to the comparative value of engines made in the colony and engines made in the Mother-country ?—I am of opinion that we can make as good engines and boilers as any that can be imported from England. I can speak absolutely as to that, for I have seen a good deal of the work. 151. That refers to boilers ; what of engines ?—I refer to boilers and engines. 152. Can you refer to any industry lately started here in the iron trade ? —Do you refer to corrugating and galvanizing iron ? 153. No, not particularly; I refer to any class of machinery that has been made lately. I suppose that generally there has been a great development in this industry ? —Generally there has been great improvement; better tools have been imported. 154. Can you tell the Committee if any experts have been brought from Home ? —Possibly in connection with the work of locomotives there have been, for the special work connected with locomotives can hardly be done by an ordinary engineer ; or, I should rather say, it could be done, but not as it should be. 155. Good men have been engaged who learnt their trade at Home?— Yes ; but there are many young men being taught in the colony. 156. Taken on as apprentices?— Yes, taken on as apprentices. I can point to many young men, several of them in first-class positions, who were brought up to their trade in the Lion Foundry. I could name from a dozen to twenty who have much confidence and responsibility placed in them, thus showing that such young men can be educated and taught their work in an efficient manner in the colony. 157. Has the subject of technical schools for young men in the colony engaged your attention ? —I cannot say it has much, but I quite approve of them. I think it would be an excellent thing to establish them. 158. I suppose the best purely technical instruction they would get would come from the journeyman ? —Yes; but there might be some higher class of teaching desirable. 159. You mean for the purpose of theoretical knowledge ?—Yes. 160. Mr. Bruce.] You said you would admit tools and machinery free for the same reason, I presume, because they would cost as much if made here as the duty amounted ? —As a matter of fact, if a trial were made to manufacture these machines in the colony, it would add to their expense to an extent that would be prohibitory. 161. Then you consider that a duty on tools would be prejudical? —I think so. 162. You said, in answer to a question put to you by the Hon. Mr. Ballance, that you rather approved of a technical school ?—Yes ; I believe it would be an excellent thing. 163. You said that there were about a thousand men engaged in the iron trade? —I think lam far below the mark. 164. I wish to get at this —namely, why you should approve of technical schools for the manufacture of machinery which you say must be imported from the Mother-country ? —I think it is a wise thing to do, to have the young men that are to be brought up in the colony to know their business thoroughly, and therefore it seems to me desirable to give them every information concerning it. 165. But, on your own showing, you would protect that industry to give these men work ?— I have already said that an engine can be built here as well and as cheaply as it can be imported ; boilers can be made even more cheaply, for the freight, &c, is so great that they do not require protection, the charge for freight being a protection in itself. 166. Do you include steam-engines?— Yes; but here I should say that very large marine engines—such as would be required for the " Kaikoura," for instance—you could not get such large engines built in the colony. What I maintain is that anything that can be done in the colony can be done well, but beyond a certain size not at all. 167. Still it involves a question of cost to the consumer; in effect you say that you are not in favour of protection because you can import cheaper ?—I said I should like to see this industry protected to a small extent. 168. You admit that already there is a certain amount of protection ?—I think it deserves a little protection, although the cost of importing is, to a certain extent, a protection. 169. You mentioned 10 per cent. ; in effect you admitted that to make machinery successfully here you require such protection ?—I do not know that I said that. What I meant and intended to say was that it would be a kindly thing to do to give an industry employing such a large amount of labour assistance to some extent. That is the feeling I have towards this industry. lam an 2—l. 5.